Seaport workers to strike on September 4 against government's social assistance cuts

Seaport workers throughout the Netherlands will strike on September 4, trade union FNV announced. No ships in the ports of Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Zeeland will be processed between 11:15 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on that day. The port strike is one of multiple actions planned by FNV in protest against the government’s proposed €6.5 billion cut to social security.

“We do not accept that security regarding unemployment or disability is sacrificed for other political choices. Social security is not the Cabinet’s safety account. Employees and employers have paid premiums for this for years,” said Asmae Hajjari of FNV Havens.

The trade unions have long campaigned for the Cabinet to completely scrap its plans to cut social security benefits. This includes an accelerated increase in the state pension age (AOW), the shortening of unemployment benefits (WW), and the reduction of disability benefits (WIA). The government already scrapped the accelerated AOW increase and adjusted its plans for WIA and WW, but not enough for the unions.

According to FNV, these cuts will hit every single worker in the Netherlands extremely hard. The government is undermining all the security of a decent social safety net, Hajjari said. “Employees must be able to rely on a social safety net when they lose their job or become incapacitated through no fault of their own.”

The seaport strike is one of multiple actions FNV, the largest trade union in the Netherlands, is planning to pressure the government into scrapping these cuts. The union also announced a 24-hour nationwide public transport strike on September 9. Rail, regional, and urban transport in the Netherlands will come to a standstill for 24 hours on that day.